Young Lives eBook

The toast having been seconded and drunk with resounding
cordiality, Henry responded in a speech of mingled
playfulness and emotion, assuring them, on his part,
that though they might not be poets, he thought no
worse of them for that, but should always remember
them as the best fellows he had ever known. The
talk then became general, and tender with reminiscence.
After all, what a lot of pleasant things those hard
years had given them to remember! So they kept
the evening going, and it was not till an early hour
of the following day that this important volume of
Henry’s life was finally closed.

CHAPTER XXIX

MIKE’S TURN TO MOVE

While Henry had been busily engaged in winning Angelica
and writing and printing his little book, Mike’s
fortunes had not been idle. Meanwhile, the Sothern
Dramatic Club had given two more performances, in which
his parts had been considerable, and been played by
him with such success as to make the former pieman’s
apprentice one of the chief members of the club.
Mike and his friends therefore became more and more
eager for him to try his talents on the great stage.
But this was an experiment not so easy to make.

However unknown a writer may be, he can still at least
write his book in his obscurity, and, when done, bring
it to market, with a reasonable hope of its finding
a publisher; moreover, though he may remain for years
unappreciated, his writings still go on fighting for
him till his due recognition is won. He has not
to find his publisher before he begins to write.
Yet it is actually such a disability under which the
unproved and often the proved actor must labour.
Unless some one engages him to act, and provides an
audience for him, he has no opportunity of showing
his powers. And such opportunities are difficult
to find, unless you are a dissolute young lord, or
belong to one of the traditional theatrical families,—­whose
members are brought up to the stage, as the sons of
a lawyer are brought up to law. For the avenues
to the stage are blocked by perhaps more frivolous
incompetents than any other profession. Any idle
girl with good looks, and any idle gentleman with
something of a good carriage, deem themselves qualified
for one of the most arduous of the arts.

Mike’s plan had been to try every considerable
actor that came to Tyre, who might possibly have a
vacant place in his company; but he had tried many
in vain. While one or two were unable to see him
at all, most of them treated him with a kindness remarkable
in men daily besieged by the innumerable hopeless.
They gave him good advice; they wished him well; but
already they had long lists of experienced applicants
waiting their turn for the coveted vacancy. At
last, however, there came to Tyre a famous romantic
actor who was said to be more sympathetic towards the
youthful aspirant than the other heads of his profession,
and as, too, he was rumoured to be vulnerable on the
side of literature, Mike and Henry agreed to make
a joint attack upon him. Mike should write a brief
note asking for an interview, and Henry should follow
it up with another letter to the same effect, and
at the same time send him a copy of “The Book
of Angelica.”